The Building Envelope

Housing associations are increasingly looking to deliver low carbon, energy efficient housing for tenants. As such, the refurbishment, retrofit or new build landscape for housing associations requires continual evaluation.

A combination of government net zero targets and the cost-of-living crisis, fuelled by high energy prices, means the pressure is on for social housing providers to find solutions to the growth of people living in fuel poverty. Yet, in doing so, the sector also needs to remain compliant with the changing legislation demands, which are designed to create a low carbon housing future for all.

Window and door technology has advanced significantly in recent years to the point where today’s profile systems, glazing and hardware enable housing specifiers to deliver ever safer, more secure and energy efficient homes. But for the benefits of these new generation products to be fully realised, it is crucial that the specification of window and door fasteners is not left to chance.

The Social Housing Regulation Act 2023 marks a significant turning point for the social housing sector, ushering in a new era of resident empowerment and a resolute commitment to delivering safe, secure, and sustainable homes. 

EJOT’s growing range of innovative solutions for the installation of ETICS (External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems) – also known as EWI (External Wall Insulation) systems – is playing an increasingly important role in enabling quality and performance to be optimised in external envelope refurbishment and new build projects. Mark Newell, EJOT UK’s ETICS specialist explains why.

DoorCo is the leading innovator in the composite door supply chain and their products to date, have been installed in 10’s of 1,000’s of social housing homes via their network of specialist contractors. We catch up with DoorCo’s Technical and Sales Director, Ian Glenister on what we can expect from the composite door giant in 2024.

The impact of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) has better enabled local authorities and housing associations to access funding for sustainable housing improvements to enhance energy efficiency.

Across a wide range of proven renewable technology solutions, to technical specifications and training support, Marley is working with housing associations to help deliver energy efficient and sustainable social housing, which also reduces energy cost pressures for tenants. Here, Chris Marshall, Area Sales Manager at Marley outlines the benefits of a collaborative, single source strategy approach as the sector embarks on major retrofit and upgrade programmes.

James Clack, Sales Director of Victorian Sliders, makes the case for vertical sliding sash windows in housing association properties.